The present invention relates to a grip element for a hand-held and/or finger-manipulated article. More particularly, the present invention relates to a grip element which is easily assembled onto an article, such as a hand-held or finger-manipulated article.
With the increasing attention to ergonomic designs, handle portions of hand-held or finger-manipulated articles are increasingly designed to enhance gripping thereof. For instance, handles are often contoured and/or textured to facilitate grasping. Such formation of handles has been known for many years. It has become increasingly desirable to enhance gripping even further by providing a grip element formed from a material different from the material of the handle portion. The different material may provide unique characteristics not achievable by the material from which the main body of the handle must be formed. For instance, hand-held and finger-manipulated articles may be formed from such materials as plastics or metals or woods which are hard and/or slippery. The provision of a grip element formed from a material different from that of the underlying article, such as rubber or foam, has become increasingly popular. Such grip elements may provide such benefits as reduced slippage (increased friction), an insulative effect (i.e., an element that is not cold to the touch), and/or cushioning.
Various grip elements formed from a material different from the material of the underlying article are known in the art. For instance, foam and rubber grip elements have been sold for many years for selective assembly onto a hand-held or finger-manipulated article to facilitate or to enhance grasping thereof. In addition, hand-held and finger-manipulated articles have also been sold with grip elements of materials different from the underlying material of the article already provided thereon. Such grip elements may be formed on the article by molding the material of the grip element onto the different underlying material of the article on which the grip element is to be provided. Alternatively, such grip elements may be formed separately from the article and then assembled onto the article. The latter manner of formation of a grip element generally tends to be less expensive and more amenable to mass production, and thus is more desirable.
However, although the actual formation of a separately formed grip element may be simpler than formation of the grip element as an integral element of the article, assembly of the grip element onto the article may be difficult. Because the grip element may increase friction or may be formed from an elastomeric element (for resiliency and cushioning effect), the grip element may not slide easily over the article. Thus, various techniques have been used to facilitate assembly of such grips onto an article. For instance, air may be blasted into the interior of a tubular elastomeric grip element to cause the grip element to expand. The grip element thus may readily be inserted over the grip section of an article. Once the air blast is discontinued, the grip element resumes its natural configuration, which typically has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the article, so that the grip element is secured onto the article. Similarly, equipment for mechanically stretching a grip element has been used. Alternatively, a lubricant, such as mineral spirits or isopropyl alcohol, may be used to reduce friction between the grip element and the article.
However, the above-mentioned manners of mounting a grip element all have significant drawbacks. Using a blast of air is costly and generally is not desirable. As may be readily appreciated, machinery which mechanically stretches the grip element is not only costly, but also requires precision both in manipulating the grip element as well as in mounting the expanded grip element on the article. Finally, use of alcohol or other types of lubricants which are potentially flammable near assembly equipment has clear inherent risks.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to improve the manner in which a grip element is mounted onto an article such that costs are reduced, and speed and efficiency in assembly are increased.
The present invention is directed to a grip element for assembly onto a free end of a hand-held, finger-held, or finger-manipulated article. One application of the grip element is to provide a comfortable grip for finger-manipulated articles, such as writing instruments, razors, toothbrushes, utensils, and tools. The grip element can also be used with larger articles that may be held in the palm of the user""s hand, such as impact tools (e.g., hammers), various sports equipments (e.g., rackets, bats, golf clubs), and motor-driven devices (e.g., power drills or motorcycles). The variety of articles on which the grip element of the present invention may be mounted are referenced herein as xe2x80x9cgripped articlesxe2x80x9d for the sake of convenience only, and not with any intended limitation.
The grip element referenced herein includes a gripping surface and an engagement surface extending from the gripping surface. The engagement surface is configured and dimensioned for engagement by a pushing device such that the pushing device may move the grip element substantially completely onto the gripped article without requiring lubrication or separate expansion of the grip element. For example, the engagement surface may be a substantially planar surface that is angled, or perpendicular to, the gripping surface. The engagement surface is preferably provided at a distal end of the grip element, which is located furthest away from the proximal, free end of the article. Thus, the pushing device pushes the engagement surface onto the gripped article, effectively pulling the rest of the grip element.
To ease assembly of the grip element onto the gripped article, the inner diameter of the grip element may increase, or taper outwardly, in a direction from a proximal end of the grip element (closest to the pushing device), toward a distal end of the grip element (furthest from the pushing device). In addition, the inner diameter of the grip element at the grip element distal end may be larger than the outer diameter of the grip section at the grip section proximal end, thus allowing the distal end of the grip element to slide readily over at least a portion of the grip section. Further, the inner diameter of the grip element at the grip element proximal end may be smaller than the outer diameter of the grip section at the grip section proximal end to assist in retaining the grip element on the gripped article.
The present invention is also directed to a gripped article incorporating the grip element. The article includes a grip section for receiving the above-described grip element.
The present invention is also directed to a method of assembling a grip element onto a gripped article. The method includes the steps of contacting an engagement surface of the grip element, and pushing the engagement surface to move the grip element onto the article. The engagement surface may be positioned at a distal end of the grip element so that pushing on the engagement surface pulls a gripping portion of the grip element substantially completely onto the grip section of the article. A tubular member, such as a cap (in the case that the grip element is used for a writing instrument), may be slid over the grip element to contact the engagement surface. The method may further include contacting and pushing the end of the grip closest to the free end completely onto the article.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, the scope of the invention being set out in the appended claims.